An Exposition of Hosea 11-13, Exposition · Chapter 11 · Verse 5
VER. 5.
He ſhall not return into the Land of Egypt, but the Aſſyrian ſhall be his King; becauſe they refuſed to return.
He ſhall not return.
TO give you firſt a ſhort paraphraſe of the words, 1.for there's no difficulty in them, and then the Notes of Obſervation. It is,
As if the Prophet ſhould ſay: Howſoever he thinks to help himſelf with eaſe, to ſhelter himſelf there, yet The Text paraphraſed.he ſhall not, but he ſhall go into Captivity into Aſſyria, for all means that have been uſed would not bring him to return. So then the Obſervations:
Firſt, That which hardens mens hearts againſt threats in Obſ. 1.their ſin, is ſome ſhifts that they have in their thoughts; let the worſt come that can be, yet I have ſuch a relief.
My Brethren, it's a great mercy of God to take mens Uſe. A great mercy to be thorowly taken off from carnal props.ſpirits off from all their vain ſhifts and hopes, ſo as to be throughly convinced that there's no help in any thing, in the creature, in Heaven and Earth, but only in my turning to God, and caſting my ſoul down before Mercy; if that ſaves me not; I am undone for ever: when the heart comes to this, (I ſay) God is in a gracious and merciful way working, I ſee my ſin, my affliction that is upon me, and feel it, though my heart would be ſhifting this way and that way, yet God hath convinc'd me, nothing can do me good, but I am loſt and undone, what ever courſe I take, except I return to God, and humble my ſoul before him, and ſeek his face, and obtain meroie from him
Secondly, He ſhall not return to Egypt.2.
It was a verie ſtrange perverſeneſs to think of this ſhift, to go back to Egypt, why was not Egypt the place of his bondage, and the Egyptians ſtill retained their cruelty, and yet they thought of this help that they would turn to Egypt rather than to God.
From whence the Obſervation is, A ſtout heart cares Obſ. 2.not whither it goes, rather than it will return to God. As the Prodigal will rather go to the Swine to feed upon husks, than to his father; like ſome ſtout children, they care not what miſeries they ſuffer rather than they will come and humble themſelves to their parents, They will hang themſelves, and drown themſelves, and ſeek their fortune (as they uſe to ſay) rather than be perſwaded to come in and ſubmit themſelves; No, never as long as they live, though they die, yet they will not, and thus their hearts are ſtout, and while they think they are ſtout againſt their parents they are ſtout againſt God too, yet God hath waies to bring mens ſtout hearts to yeeld.
Thirdly, A ſtubborn heart though God be in any way of mercy, God calling them to waies of mercy, yet if any thing Obſ. 3.croſſes them they will fooliſhly and deſperately wiſh their return to their former condition of miſery. If you make any thing that God doth, an argument to a ſtubborn heart for duty, if it pleaſes him not, he will reject all that's done for him and ſay, he had rather be as he was before, let me go into Egypt again; ſtubborn hearts if they meet with any croſs in their way, this is their unthankfulneſs, that becauſe they are vext and croſt in ſome one thing they will (I ſay) fooliſhly and deſperately wiſh that they were in the the condition that heretofore they have been in.
Oh! thus it is with many of us, how fooliſhly, how Uſe for England.wickedly have we thought and ſaid it was better with us heretofore then now, let us return to our former condition! This is thy folly and thy deſperat wickedneſs; But ſaith the text, He ſhall not return, though he thinks of returning; as if the holy Ghoſt ſhould ſay, do not pleaſe your ſelves to think it is but to return to Egypt, you cannot be worſe than now you are, for God hath worſer things for you.
And my brethren, this is our caſe this day, let not us think of returning to our former condition, certainly if we ſhould take ſuch a courſe to return to our former condition, we ſhould be far worſe than we were before, our danger would be far greater; this is certain, to the view of any men that have their eyes open, that our condition Englands condition muſt be far worſe, if it think of returning.in England muſt either be far better than it was, or far worſe than it was: There's many ſay, Oh! we were thus and thus in former times, and if we were but as we were, we ſhould do well enough; Oh! let's not think of that, we muſt certainly either be far better, or far worſe than we were, for if we think of returning it will not be to Egypt, but to Aſſyria, which will be worſe.
The Fourth Note is this, God knows how to croſs wicked Obſ. 4.men of their wills, to ſpoil them of their plots; they pleaſe themſelves with this and the other thing, they will do thus and thus, if they be put to this ſhift then they have a ſecond, and a third, yea, but there's a God in Heaven that hath determined otherwiſe.
Never were wicked men more croſs in their plots than they are at this day; They have ſaid, that they would do thus and thus, but God hath ſaid they ſhould not, and they have not done it.
Now God in his Mercy croſſes his people of their wills that are ſet upon ſin; but when the wicked are croſt upon their ſin, it is, becauſe God hath other waies to bring about greater evils to them, To bring them to Aſſyria. Well then, whatſoever any mans thoughts and deſires are, the Lord deliver us from turning into Egypt again. And likewiſe the Lord grant the Aſſyrian may not be our King. It follows. The Aſſyrian ſhall be his King.
The Lord deliver us from both, That an Aſſyrian may not be our King. Why an Aſſyrian? why was he threatned Who the Aſſyrian was.to be their King? You ſhall find that he was one of a cruel ſtout heart, an hard heart, and a proud heart, the Aſſyrians were ſo; They were a generation of men of cruel, proud, ſtout, hard-hearted men. Iſa. 10. 5. Oh Iſa. 10. 5. 7. 12.Aſſyrian! the rod of mine anger, ſaith God, and in the 7. verſe, It is in his heart to deſtroy, ſaith God, of the King of Aſſyria: and in the 12. verſe, When the Lord hath performed his whol work upon Mount Zion, and on Jeruſalem; I will puniſh the fruit of the ſtout heart of the King of Aſſyria, and the glory of his high looks. Oh! 'tis a ſore evil to be put under the rage of a proud and a ſtout hearted man, who will ſet his heart againſt God himſelf, who though God A Character of a ſtout heart.fights againſt him, yet will ſtand it out, though his deſign is croſt yet he will not come in, he will not give glory to God though his will coſt him the blood of many thouſands, yet he goes deſperatly on, he regards more his own will and luſts than the blood or lives of millions. For people to have ſuch a ſtout heart, armed with power, raiſed with pride, enraged with cruelty to reign over them, how ſad and dreadful condition are thoſe in? This is that the Lord threatens here; and why? Becauſe they refuſed to return.
I beſeech you obſerve this; ſaith he, They ſhall not return to Egypt, but the King of Aſſyria ſhall reign over them; becauſe they refuſed to return. From whence the Obſervation is this.
If we will not do Gods will, God will croſs us of our own. Obſ. 1.They would have their will, they would return, but they ſhall not ſaith God, for they will not return to me, therefore they ſhall not return whither they will themſelves. God can croſs us in our own wills at every turn. Fooliſh men who will preſume to croſs God in his will, when God hath them at ſuch infinite advantages to croſs them every way in every thing! If you croſs God in that he delights in, you may expect God will croſs you in that you moſt delight in.
Oh! when you are croſt in your minds in any thing Uſe.that you have ſet your thoughts and heart moſt upon, reflect upon your own hearts and think thus; Have not I croſt God in his mind, in that which God hath ſet his heart and mind upon? It's a good way, my Brethren, to take a holy revenge upon our ſelves, if we cannot get A way of holy revenge.our hearts to work for God as they ought, not to ſuffer them to work for our ſelves as they would.
Again, For they would not return, ſaith God.
God is not ſo much diſpleaſed at our ſins, as at our not returning. He doth not ſay, that the Aſſyrian ſhould rule over Obſ. 2.them becauſe they had ſinned, but becauſe they refuſed to return. It is too much that thou haſt ſinned, but as ſoon as ever thou haſt ſinned it concerns thee to think of returning, God expects preſently as ſoon as ever the ſin is taken notice of, that thou ſhouldeſt begin to return, it is dangerous to continue in ſin in the leaſt; this aggravates thy ſin dreadfully, and endangers thy ſealing up to wrath everlaſting.
And then Thirdly, He refuſes to return, after all means uſed, after all mercies tendered, after all callings after thee, yet to Obſ. 3.ſtand out, this is yet worſe. Not to return is evil, but to refuſe to return notwithſtanding means uſed, mercies tendered, Oh this is fearful indeed!
Oh! lay this to heart thou convicted ſinner, what offers Uſe, to the convicted.of merciemercy hath God made to thee? what calling unto merciemercy haſt thou heard, outward calls, inward calls of the the Spirit of God. Oh! how hath God called after thee, Return, return thou Shulamite; Return, return, return thou wretched wilful ſinner, Oh come in and return, what means of all ſorts haſt thou had to cauſe thy heart to return to God, and yet ſtandeſt out? think of that Scripture in Job, 9. 4. Who hath hardened himſelf againſt Job. 9. 4. to be obſerved by ſuch.him and hath proſpered? What, doeſt thou think to harden thy ſelf againſt God, and yet think to proſper? Who hath hardened himſelf againſt him and hath proſpered? and mark what follows; Which removeth the Mountains, and they know not; which overturneth them in his anger, which ſhaketh the Earth out of her place, and the Pillars thereof tremble. And yet cannot thy heart be overturned, nor tremble? In this that thou refuſeſt to return, thy ſin is aggravated above the ſin of the Devils themſelves, for we do not An obſtinate ſinner worſe than the Devil in ſome reſpect.know that ever the Devils refuſed to return; for they were never offered merciemercy, God did never offer the Devils merciemercy, God never ſent to preach to them, either by his Miniſters, or Spirit, and to call them to return and you ſhall have merciemercy; here's a price paid, here's a ſalvation for you, your ſins may be pardoned; the Devil had never ſuch an offer, Who knows what the Devil might do if ſuch an offer were made to him? But now theſe offers are made to thee, and thou refuſeſt to return; Oh! return therefore, O thou ſinful ſoul who art wandering from God in the waies of death and deſtruction, give in thine anſwer; as we reade in Jer. 3. 22. where Jer. 3. 22. ſhould be our example.the Lord there calls his back-ſliding children, Return, ye back-ſliding children, and I will heal your back ſlidings. Mark the anſwer that they give to God, Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the Lord our God. Oh! that there An exhortation to backſliders.might be ſuch an anſwer given this day from ſome back-ſliding ſoul that is turned from God! Oh poor ſoul! whither art thou gone? God calls this day to thy ſoul, Return, return, and profeſſes that he is willing to heal thy backſlidings, Oh! give in this anſwer, Oh Lord, behold we come; for thou art the Lord our God: Oh! that ſome ſoul might return, and might refuſe no longer to return; Why wilt not thou return? God is content to return to thee, thou art turned from God, and God in the waies of his Adminiſtrations is turned away from thee; but mark the Promiſe, in Jer. 8. 4, 5. Thus ſaith the Jer. 4. 5. expounded.Lord, Shall they fall, and not ariſe? ſhall he turn away, and not return? by then is this people of Jeruſalem ſliden back by a perpetual back-ſliding? they hold faſt deceit, they refuſe to return.
Shall he turn away] Some interpret this of God: The Lord is not ſo turned back, but he is ready to return; Oh! why ſhould… thou backſlide with a perpetual back-ſliding?
And then the laſt Note is:
They refuſe to return] The word that is tranſlated, they foreign renuit, faſtidinit, P…el.refuſed, may ſignifie they ſcorned. What, talk to him of returning, tell him of his ſin againſt God, the greatneſs of his ſin, and the greatneſs of the danger, and the threatnings of God againſt his ſin, he deſpiſes all theſe things, theſe are poor things to ſcare children withal; Tell him of the mercies of God in pardoning his ſin, he ſlights all; this humiliation now for ſin, this breaking off of ſinful courſes, they deride the motions of them, they ſcorn to return.
Scornful ſpirits when they are called upon in the bowels of Obſ. 4.mercy to return from their evil waies, they do not only deny returning, but they ſcorn and ſlight what is ſaid to them. Wel, know there are ſome who admire at Gods mercies, calling of them to return, who admire at mercy tendred to them, and prize it more than all things in the world, they turn unto the Lord with all their ſouls, nothing in all the world can ſtop them, they bleſs God that ever their ears heard the call of God, calling them to return, and they would not for ten thouſand thouſand worlds but they had heard Gods call, and felt the Spirit of God working their hearts to him to return, howſoever thou doſt ſcorn and contemn it. Thus much for the 5th Verſe. It follows;